Steam pressing machine valve assembly



A. TALIENTO STEAM PRESSING MACHINE VALVE ASSEMBLY Jan. 7 1958 Filed April 4, 1956 4.6 44 33 36 W 49 43 FIG.2

FIG.I

Wk wk United States Patent 0 STEAM PRESSING MACHINE VALVE ASSEMBLY Anthony Taliento, Rochester, N. Y.

Application April 4, 1956, Serial No. 576,091

3 Claims. (Cl. 251--260) This invention relates generally to a valve assembly for steam pressing machines, and in particular, it relates to improvements in valve assemblies of this type for the purpose of avoiding steam loss through the valve and valve control assembly.

Conventional valve assemblies for machines of the character described rely principally upon compressible packing material to obviate leakage of steam from the steam supply chamber of the pressing machine. Whereas this invention also contemplates the use of compressible valve packing, the particular location of this packing and its association with other elements of the device render the same particularly leakage-proof and trouble-free and capable of rendering long service without necessitating adjustment, or replacement.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a simple, yet effective valve and valve control assembly for steam pressing machines.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved valve assembly and control therefor for steam pressing machines which incorporates a reciprocable valve body mounted within a sleeve and having a ball associated therewith in conjunction with a cross-shaft for imparting camming motion to the ball and consequent longitudinal or axial movement of the valve body.

Another object of this invention is to provide an im proved operating means for valve control assemblies of the character described.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved valve and valve control assembly of the charalctert described which includes a sleeve reciprocably mounting a cylindrical valve body therein and which is connected with a mounting head having a transverse bore disposed at right angles to the sleeve bore and which journals a cross-shaft therein, the cross-shaft being provided with a notch in that portion in registry with the sleeve bore and having a ball disposed within said notch and engaging one end of the valve body to reciprocate the same upon oscillation of the cross-shaft.

Still another object of this invention resides in a valve assembly of the character set forth in the preceding object wherein an end portion of the crossshaft projects outwardly beyond the mounting head, this projecting portion being of reduced diameter and there being a nut surrounding the free end of the cross-shaft and engaged upon the mounting head and having a mass of resilient packing material surrounding the cross-shaft and engaging against the shoulder provided thereon by the reduced diameter free end portion and also against an end edge of the mounting head, to seal circumferentially around the cross-shaft, axially against the shoulder and axially against the end edge of the mounting head.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a steam head having the improved valve and valve control assembly associated therewith; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 2-2 in Figure 1.

With reference most particularly at this time to Figure 1, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally the steam pressing head of a steam pressing machine which has interconnected steam supply chambers 11 and 12 therein separated by the partition wall member 13 from a steaming chamber 14. Incorporated in the head are a pair of passageways 15 and 16 which separately lead to a transfer chamber 17 disposed within the boss portion 18 of the head. The recess in the boss 18 which defines the transfer chamber 17 is internally threaded, as at 19 at its upper end, Which receives the externally threaded nipple member 20 in the manner shown.

Mounted within one of the passageways 15 is a valve member 21 having a tapered upper free end 22 cooperating with the outwardly flared passageway or bore portion 23 therein to provide a relatively narrow upper edge or rim 24.

The control valve assembly proper is illustrated most clearly in Figure 2, and will be seen to consist of the aforementioned nipple member 2% having the hexagonal nut land 25 disposed circumferentially thereof intermediate its ends and having a threaded upper end receiving the nut member 2s which engages axially against the shoulder portion 27 at the lower end of the sleeve 28. The upper end of the nipple 2G is preferably internally beveled, as at 29, to provide a seat for the tapered lower end portion 30 of the sleeve 28. The upper end of the sleeve is externally threaded and is threadedly received in an internally threaded bore 31 of the mounting head assembly, which is indicated generally by the reference character 32. The mounting head is provided with a transverse bore 33 which is closed by wall 3 at one end and which is open at its other end, the open end being preferably defined by the peaked end edge 35 as is illus trated. This outer end of the mounting head is externally threaded, as at 36.

Instead of providing a separate nipple 2t and separate sleeve 28, joined in the manner shown, the sleeve 28 may be integral with the nipple and extend down into the upper end of the boss 18 of the pressing head. In any event, a cylindrical valve body member 36 is reciprocably mounted within the axially aligned bores 37 and 38 of the nipple 20' and sleeve 2%, respectively, this valve body being provided at its lower end with a circular recess 39 within which a resilient disk member ill is mounted so that when the valve body is urged downwardly, the disk 40 will engage the narrow upper edge 24 of the valve member 21 and seal off the same.

The upper or opposite end of the valve body member 36 is of frusto-conical configunation, as illustrated by the reference character 41, the upper end 42 of which terminates just within the confines of the mounting head 32. A cross-shaft, indicated generally by the reference character 43 is provided with an enlarged cylindrical portion 44 which is journaled within the bore 33 of the mounting head and one end 45 of this cross-shaft abuts against the inner surface of the end wall 34 of such mounting head, to properly locate the cross-shaft within the mounting head.

That portion of the cross-shaft which is disposed in vertical registry above the axial bore 38 in the sleeve 28 is notched, as is indicated by the reference character 46, and disposed within this notch and engaged upon the upper end 42 of the valve body 36 is a ball 47. This notch 46 extends transversely adjacent the inner end portion of the cross-shaft 43 and is cut across in a line parallel to a diameter of the cross-shaft to define a flat as is illustrated by the dotted line at 47' in Figure "1.

it will be noted from Figure 2 that when the entire assemblage is in its properly mounted position, with the flat 47' of the notch 46 lying in a plane extending perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve bore 38, the effective length of the various parts is such that the lower end of the valve body 36 is disposed in slightly spaced relationship to the upper edge 24 of the valve member 21 such that only a very slight vertical downward motion of the valve body 36 will be suificient to cause engagement between this edge 24 and the disk 40 to seal off the passageway from the transfer chamber 17 and consequently the other passageway 16 leading into the steaming chamber 14.

The cross-shaft 43 projects outwardly beyond the end edge portion of the mounting head 32, and that portion 48 which projects therebeyond is of reduced diameter with respect to the portion 44 thereof to provide a shoulder at the juncture of the two portions 44 and 48, and this shoulder is preferably peaked, as indicated by the reference character 49, the purpose of this construction being presently apparent.

An annular nut member 50 surrounds the projecting portion 48 of the cross-shaft 43 and is internally threaded to be engaged upon the threaded end portion 36 of the mounting head and preferably, a locking nut 51 is associated therewith to retain a desired adjustment of the nut 50. Disposed within the nut 50 and in surrounding relation to the reduced end portion 48 of the cross-shaft adjacent its juncture with the enlarged portion 44 thereof is a mass of suitable packing material 52, as shown. The packing material is of conventional type, and is compressible. The nut 50 is axially threaded along the mounting head until a sufiicient degree of compression is achieved in the packing material 52.

As shown in Figure 2, the outer free end of the crossshaft projects beyond the nut 50 for association with the handle member, indicated generally by the reference character 53 in Figure 1. The handle is provided with a circular boss 54 which snugly engages upon the free outer end portion of the cross-shaft and which has a setscrew 55 associated therewith to rigidly interconnect the handle and the cross-shaft so that rocking of the handle will cause oscillation of the cross-shaft. The mounting head is provided with a projection 56 extending laterally therefrom in underlying relation to the handle 53. This projection terminates in a pan portion 57 having a depression 58 therein serving as a seat for the lower end of a coil spring member 59. That portion of the handle 53 which is in vertical registry with the pan portion 57 of the projection 56 is also provided with a recess 60 which receives and forms a seat for the upper end of the spring 59. The bottom wall 61 of the pan portion 57 is provided with a threaded bore for engagement with a bolt member 62 which projects upwardly therethrough and is provided at its lower end with the hexagonal head 63. A lock nut 64 is engaged upon the bolt 62 underneath the bottom wall 61 of the pan 57. The upper end of the bolt 62, as indicated by the reference character 65, is spaced a slight distance from the surface of the upper wall portion 66 of the handle recess 60, this spacing being just sufiicient to permit a downward movement of the handle 53 to effect a proper opening of the valve and positioning of the flat 47' of the cross-shaft in a substantially horizontal plane. The adjustment of this spacing is, of course, attained by proper axial movement of the bolt 62, and when the adjustment is achieved, the same is fixed by tightening the lock nut 64.

The normal position of the parts is as shown in Figure l, with the spring 59 urging the handle upwardly to cant the flat 47 of the cross-shaft and force the ball 47 downwardly to consequently maintain the valve body 36' in its lowered position with the disk 40 sealingly engaged with the top edge 24 of the valve member 21. Of course, a constant downward pressure is urged on the valve body 36' by virtue of the spring 59 which is under compression when the parts are in this position. When it is desired 4 to open the valve, the handle 53 is depressed to rock or oscillate the cross-shaft 43 to such a position that the flat 47' thereon is substantially in a horizontal plane to permit the pressure of the steam within the supply chamber 11 or 12 to force the valve body 36' upwardly and unseat the same from the valve member 21. This, of course, permits transfer of the steam from the supply chambers 11 and 12 to the steaming chamber 14 by flowing through the passageway 15 into the transfer chamber 17 and downwardly through the other passageway 16.

Due to the construction of the component parts of the valve and valve control assembly, it will be readily appreciated that the valve member body 36' is easily unseated from the valve member 21 by virtue of the fact that the same acts in the manner of a piston within the bores 37 and 38 of the nipple and sleeve 20 and 28, respectively. That is, the pressure of the steam will easily force the valve body member 36' upwardly when in its axially aligned bores.

It is preferred that the valve body member 36 be fairly snugly received within the axially aligned bores 37 and 38 so as to prevent as much as possible seepage or leakage of steam past this valve body. However, even if such leakage or seepage does occur, the steam cannot find its way to escape from the valve and valve control assembly by virtue of the fact that the packing material 52 is firmly compressed by the nut 50 into engagement with both of the peaked edge portions 35 and 49, as well as into circumferential engagement with the surface portion of the cross-shaft 43 which it surrounds, thus forming a triple seal at this point. Although compressible packing material is utilized in this invention, the same is not susceptible to rapid wear or deterioration by virtue of the fact that there is very little movement of the parts with which the compressible material comes in contact. In this respect, it will be noted that the cross-shaft 43 is imparted only a very slight rocking motion in the two extremes of its possible positions, and consequently, very little and only inconsequential wear will occur in the packing material 42 by virtue of rocking movement of the crossshaft 43.

I claim:

1. A valve control assembly for steam pressing machines comprising, a sleeve member adapted for connection with a steam head, a valve body slidably received in said sleeve and having a valve element at one end, a mounting head rigid with one end of said sleeve and having a bore therein disposed at right angles to the bore of said sleeve, a cross-shaft journaled in the bore of said mounting head and having a transverse notch in that portion registering with the bore in said sleeve, 9. ball partially received in said notch and engaging that end of said valve body remote from said valve element, and means for oscillating said cross-shaft to cam said ball and impart movement of said valve body longitudinally of said sleeve, the last mentioned means including a handle rigid with and disposed normal to said cross-shaft, said mounting head having a projection underlying said handle, and spring means disposed between the handle and the projection to normally space these members apart.

2. A valve control assembly for steam pressing machines comprising, a sleeve member adapted for connection with a steam head, a valve body slidably received in said sleeve and having a valve element at one end, a mounting head rigid with one end of said sleeve and having a bore therein disposed at right angles to the bore of said sleeve, a cross-shaft journaled in the bore of said mounting head and having a transverse notch in that portion registering with the bore in said sleeve, a ball partially received in said notch and engaging that end of said valve body remote from said valve element, and means for oscillating said cross-shaft to cam said ball and impart movement of said valve body longitudinally of said sleeve,

said cross-shaft having an outer end portion projecting.

outwardly from the mounting head, a nut surrounding said outer end portion of the cross-shaft and threadedly engaged upon the mounting head, and compressible packing material enclosed between said nut and the end of the mounting head through which the cross-shaft projects, said packing material being compressed by the nut and urged thereby into sealing engagement with a circumferential portion of the cross-shaft and with the said end of the mounting head.

3, The assembly as defined in and by claim 2 wherein said outer end portion of the cross-shaft is of reduced diameter to provide a shoulder, the packing material being compressed upon said shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Aubert June 4, 1922 Haacke July 12, 1927 Jasper June 5, 1934 Clarke Aug. 6, 1940 Stroop Sept. 5, 1950 

